1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems and methods of displaying data, and in particular to a method and system for synchronously viewing and editing data in both unformatted and formatted form.
2. Description of the Related Art
The Virtual Storage Access Method (VSAM) is a method for accessing data using a B+ tree organizational structure. VSAM data files include one or more VSAM data records, each with a plurality of data fields.
VSAM data records and their fields are editable by VSAM data editors. Although these editors provide a basic capability to allow users to edit VSAM data records, they are awkwardly designed and implemented. For example, current VSAM editors allow the user to edit formatted data fields of a data record one at a time, but they do not easily permit the user to view other data records in the VSAM file during editing. Since current VSAM editors only present one record at a time, they do not lend themselves to the detection of duplication errors or ease of data entry. This raises the possibility that the user will enter a substantial amount of input to create or edit the file, only to find out that the record that they wish to create or update already exists in the data file.
The user may attempt to ameliorate this problem by opening another window or by replacing the current display, but this solution is far from optimal, because the information presented in the windows will not be synchronized, and no synchronization between the data records or the structure of the data records presented in the windows will result.
As can be seen from the foregoing, there is a need to provide a quick and intuitive interface for editing VSAM files that can display all or a subset of the records in the data file as well as in parallel, and provide the capability to access a specific record in the workspace of the editor. The multiple record browser and editor disclosed herein satisfies that need by providing capability to simultaneously view a single record as well as view a list of records pertaining to their opened VSAM data file without loss of context. Further, the multiple record browser and editor displays the relationship between the data record, its fields, and the structure for the data record, as defined in a COBOL copy file. The multiple record browser thus permits the user to quickly and visually identify whether or not the record they wish to create or update already exists in the file, thus eliminating the frustration of taking the time to enter all of the data for a new or modified record only to find that a duplicate already exists.
There is also a need for an interface that can be flexibly adapted to the sophistication and needs of the user. For example, when modifying a data record, a novice user will likely prefer a fully formatted view and an unformatted view of the data record. However, a sophisticated, power user may prefer a view with sufficient formatting to assist in data record editing, but which uses less of the available display real estate. For such users, there is a need for an interface that presents a semi-formatted view of the data records.